Over the years there has always been a desire by man to conquer the unknown. This desire has expressed itself in many different ways. For example, since the launching of the first unmanned spaced vehicle there has been a tremendous interest in space activities by scientists, adults of all ages and even young children in the high schools and grammar schools throughout the nation.
Space activity is only one area of recent interest, another area is oceanography. Oceanography is a study of the oceans and the environment in the ocean, including the waters, depths, beds, plants, fish, etc. As anyone who has visited the ocean beaches on a summer vacation has witnessed, the beaches are full of young explorers peering into the water as the waves break upon the shores. Some are sifting the sand, others are cavorting about in the shallow water with their goggles and snorkling tubes trying to get a view of what really lies below the surface of the water.
Apparently a realization of this interest in the oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. has already taken place. The basis for this statement is due to the many underwater viewing devices which have been designed in recent years. A study of these devices reveals some serious deficiencies, which most likely serve as the reason why they have not received universal acceptance. The interest in quality underwater viewing devices is certainly there. However, not a single one of the known devices has received the universal acceptance required to make it successful.
The main problem with any underwater viewing device is the fact that distorted images appear in the device when viewed by the viewer. If the viewing area is unshielded from the incoming light, distorted images will appear. In an attempt to remove the distortions, some designers have resorted to providing opaque enclosures which will prevent the light from coming into the viewing device at any angle except the entrance of the viewing tube. However, there is a serious drawback associated with these types of known devices, i.e. all of these devices require that the viewer bring his head into contact with the uppermost end of the viewing tube to prevent the entry of light through the uppermost end thereof. As one can readily recognize, such a device permits only singular viewing, i.e. only one person can experience of joy of viewing the depths of unknown waters at any given time.